askpixie.
06.26.04
hi, i just want to ask you if the chemicals in a japanese straightening like liscio are harmful in any way?
mary
Mary,
The process is pretty much chemically the same as a permanent wave. These things break down the amino acids in your hair, rearrange them, and reform them. Plus there is intense heat and pressure involved in the process.
Done improperly or just done on the wrong head of hair, all the hair on your head can fall out or break off, chemical or heat burns can happen, or you just might not get the results you are looking for from the treatment.
If you consider any of that harmful, I would say yes.
-pixie
yes i know that, but i want to know if the chemicals they use like liscio are harmful to your body, can it cause cancer or go in to your brain and be harmful?
Japanese straighteners like Liscio are permanent waves in a creme form. They are chemically the same as perms, which is why I said they were pretty much the same chemically as perms. They are neither carcinogenic nor radioactive, so no, they won't give you cancer or make you have flipper babies. They are just another hair service like relaxers, perms, colors, etc.
The only way the chemicals could get into your brains is if you were to split your skull open and pour the stuff into the gash, where the addition of such a thing would probably be the least of your concerns at that point and time.
The only problems with hair products that were linked to anything were lead-based haircolors like Grecian 44, which have vaguely been linked to cancer.
thank you for answering me, i have another question. can you please give me a list of the chemicals that are used for a japanese straightening.
By chemicals, do you mean the actual chemical ingredient lists of the individual products? Because the only people that can tell you that are the individual companies that manufacture the products, or perhaps OSHA.
However, the active ingredients of all thiol-based perms and straightneners are ammonium thioglycolate (or a sister thiol) in the curl rearranging product, and then hydrogen peroxide in the neutralizing product. As to inactive ingredients, that could be about anything.
Your best bet would be to actually contact a salon that offers this service and ask them about it, or contact the manufacturer directly.
-- pixie
As an aside, I am getting really tired of being asked about the various permutations of thermal relaxing.
Anything you might possibly want to know on the subject can be found either by clicking on the link below about tr, or by looking elsewhere, like GOOGLE.
I live in Chicago. I don't know where to get this thing done anywhere but here, or places that have been previously mentioned in the askpixie archives.
I don't work for any company that makes, sells, or educates about the product lines used to do this service.
So stop asking, already.
Cripes, you people.
do you have a question for askpixie? mail: askpixie@pixiemartin.com
(if you want to know about some form of thermal relaxing, click here.)
If pixie can't help, you're screwed.™
| (disclaimer: as you can imagine, askpixie is not a licensed therapist, nor is she a doctor of anything. she has, however, had enough problems in her life, and enough damn therapy, that she can pretty much handle most of what you could probably throw at her. and whatever she can't directly answer herself, she will do her best to find an answer for you elsewhere. unless otherwise noted, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein, therein, and whereverin you're looking, are © pixiemartin, 2002. you gotta problem with that, punk?) |